Review of The Third Man (1949) by Terry D — 16 Jan 2018

A bona-fide great film, "The Third Man" was a truly collaborative effort from a wide variety of creative sources -- writer Graham Greene; producers Alexander Korda and David O. Selznick; director Carol Reed; zither musician Anton Karas; and a cast that included Joseph Cotten, Trevor Howard and Orson Welles -- all at the top of their game.

It's film noir with a conscience. It also has elements of a thriller and detective yarn that spins and builds upon itself. The dark black-and-white cinematography of bombed-out, post-war Vienna is a visual feast.

Scenes are shot in askew angles and from haunting perspectives. Vienna itself is a star of the film and is populated by interesting, garish, menacing, and comic characters. The zither music soundtrack is otherworldly and strangely effective within the context of the proceedings.

Finally, although his total screentime amounts to only a matter of minutes, Welles is truly memorable and perfect in the 'star role' of Harry Lime -- he's talked about for the entire first two-thirds of the film so that when he finally shows up an hour-and-six-minutes into the proceedings it's powerfully effective.

His "Cuckoo Clock" speech to Holly (Cotten) atop the Riesenrad (Giant Ferris Wheel), which he came up with, himself (his only contribution to the story content), is classic. "The Third Man" has become a mainstay among my all-time top 5 films.

In 2007 The Criterion Collection released an epic 2-disc special edition dvd set featuring a gorgeous transfer and a veritable plethora of fascinating extras -- without a doubt one of my most prized film possessions.